Method of making inflatable balls



April 21, 1942. M; scuDDx-:R

` METHOD OF MAKING NFLATABLE BALLS 'original Filed Feb. 12, 193s F'IGZ.

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.l .m Y y l HD r.. l mw m Q ma o T W, V T 0 NN A wyow w M Y `B YPatented Apr.` 2 1, 1 942 UNITED lsrrrrss PATENT oFFIcE L `METHOD oF MAKING INFLATABLE BALLS Mason `Scudder, Clayton, Mo.,

assignor `to `,Rawlings Manufacturing Company, St.`Louis,

`Mo., a corporation of Missouri i 'original application February 12,1938, serial No.

\ Y 1939, serial N0.`268,o12

rclaim. (ci. 154-16).v

This invention relates to a methodof making inflatable ballsl of the kind in which the .cover or outer casing of the ball islrnade up of pieces of leather `or other `suitable material arranged with theirv marginal edges inabutting relationship, and secured by an adhesive to the extei rior of an inflated member of spherical shape or form. -This application is a division of my application SenlNo. 190,177, led February l2, 1938. One serious objection to prior inflatable balls of the general-kind referred to, is that they-cannot be grasped Aand held securely by the lingers of; the user, and hence, lcannotbethrown, spun or manipulated as easily` or accurately asfootballs, basketballs and similar balls of the kind that are equipped with a cover or outer casing Divided and thisapplication April 15,

p pressing said grooved portions inwardly `to form .made up of sections of leather joined together V by sewed seams. This, ofcourse, is due to the fact that the outer casing is `perfectly smooth and devoid of depressions, ridges, or any other means `that tends to prevent the users fingers from slippingv on the casingwhen the ballis being caught or carried, or which aids the users fingers to get a purchase or grip on the casing when the ball is being thrownor manipulatedin the '..I' .game in which it is employed. l l

The object of `my present invention is to provide a novel method `for manufacturing a ball that islas easy to grasp, hold and manipulate as `an inflatable ball of thef kind that is equipped l with a sewed or-stitchedcover or outer casing.`

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspectiveview, partly broken away, illustrating one form of ball that can be produced by they method which constitutes my present invention. l

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of said ball, taken on the line `2---2 of Figure 1.

Figure 2a `is a, detail view,`gshowing how the sections or pieces of material that constitutethe outer casing arelskived preparatory to the operation of securing `said sectionsin position.

. Figure 3 is a view similar to FigureZ, illustrating another form of ball capable of vbeing produced by mymethod, wherein the depression in the outer surface of the cover'of the lball is produced by skiving or deforming the edge portion of one section and leaving the opposed edge vof the adjacent section square or unskived.

Figure 4 isa View similar to Figure` 2, illustrating another` form of ball capable of being produced by my method, wherein the depression in the outer surface of the casing is produced by channeling, instead of skving, the undersides of adjacent sections of the casing and then pressing said channeled portions inwardly.

the depression previously referred to; and

Figure 5a is a detail View, showing thegroove that is formed in vthe underside of one of the casing sections before said section is applied.

IA have herein illustrated and described my method as being used to produce a football, basketball, or the like, that comprises an inflatable "bladder A, a flexible shell B that surrounds said bladder, and an outer casing or cover C made up of pieces of leather or other suitable sheet material that is cemented onto the shell B, or secured to the outer surface of said shell by a suitable adhesive, the bladder A being preferably provided with an air valve or equivalent device D accessible from the exterior of the casing for inlating said bladder. The shell B maygbe of `any preferred construction, but generally,` it is constructed in the formof an envelope of canvas, `felt or some other suitable non-stretchable` fabric to which acoating of rub-ber or rubber compound is applied and molded so as to produce a seamless outer shell that has a smooth surface. v

The outer casing C, as previously stated, is made up of a plurality of pieces or sections of leather that are permanently attached to the shell B by cement or the like. The shape and number of said sections are immaterial, but said sections are preferably made of the same general shape oroutline as the `sections employed to producesewed or stitched outer casings for footballs, basketballs and the like.

. scribed differs from prior balls of the type' that comprise a cemented on `outer casing, in that the outer casing or cover of the ball, instead of having a perfectly smooth exterior, is provided with an outer surface in which a depression :e

In the ball herein illustrated, the outer casing or cover of the ball of irregular shape or outline is formed so as to produce a ringer-gripping surface which is practically the same as that of a ball casing made up of sections of leather joined together by inturned seams. The particular shape, form or outline of said depression :c is immaterial, but I prefer to make it in the outline of the iigure 8, so that the ball will present substantially the same appearance as a conventional football or basketball provided with a sewed or stitched outer casing.

The method that I have devised for producing the ball above described contemplates reducing the thickness of certain portions'of the casing sections, preparatory to applying said sections, and then pressing said portions of reduced thickness inwardly during or subsequent to the operation of securing said sections in position, thereby producing a casing whose outer surface is broken up by a depression, groove or valley that assists the users fingers to rmly grasp and hold the ,ball when it is in use. The reduction in thickness of certain portions of thecasing `sections may be effected by compressing or condensing said portions, or` by vremoving material from said sections 'by a skiving operation, channeling operation or grooving operation. Preferably, material is removed .froin the casing sections at the edges of same, but ifdesired, the material can be removed from the ysections at points some distance inwardly from the edges of same. One convenient way to produce the depression .'12 is to taper the adjacent edges of some of the sectionsof the casing C, as shown in Figure 2, so that after said sections Vhave been cemented in operative position on the shell B of the ball, there will be a slight valley or depression :c at the point where the opposed edges of adjacent sections meet. The tapering of the sections can be effected by compressing or deorming the edge portions of said sections or by removing or cutting away material at the edges of said sections. In the ball shown in Figures l and 2, the edge portions of some of the sections that constitute the cover of the,ball have their undersides skived at l, as

shown in Figure 2E, preparatory to applying said L sections to the shell B, and during or subsequent to 'the operation of cementing said sections to the shell B the skived portions of said sections are pressed inwardly or downwardly toward the cen-- ter of the ball, with the result that a valley or depression :r is formed in theouter surface of the casing. In the ball shown in Figure 1, the valley or depression :c has the form or outline of the figure 8, and consequently, it closely simulates the appearance of a conventional foot ball or basket ball provided with a sewed outer cas- Instead of deforming or skiving both opposed edges of two adjacent sections, one section may be provided with a square edge 2, as shown in Figure 3, and the adjacent section may be provided with a skived edge like that shown in Figure 2a, with the result that when the sections are applied to the shell B and secured thereto, the inwardly pressed portion or portions of the skived section or sections will constitute a depression a: on the outer surface of the ball casing.

Figures 4 and 4a illustrate how the depression 1: may be formed by channeling the underside of the edges of adjacent sections at 3, as shown in Figure 4a, and then pressing said channeled portions inwardly against the shell B, as shown in Figure 4.

While I prefer to skive, channel or otherwise taper or deform the opposed edges of adjacent sections to produce a depression 1: located at the point where some of the sections of the casing meet, said depression may be located at a point some distance inwardly or away from the meeting edges of the sections of the casing. In Figures 5 and 5a I have shown how much a depression may be produced by forming a groove 4 on the underside of the casing sections, preparatory to applying them to the shell B, and thereafter forcing said grooved portions inwardly toward the shell, thus producing a casing made up or sections having square edges butted tightly together and disposed in flush relationship, .and provided in its outer surface with a groove :r' of any preferred configuration or shape, thatvassists the users fingers to grip or hold the ball when it is in use.

The ball previously described presents substantially the same appearance and can be grasped and manipulated the same way as a ball provided with a sewed or stitched outer casing, due, of course, to the fact that the depression in the outer surface of the casing imparts to the ball the same nger-gripping characteristic that is inherent in a foot ball, basket ball or the like, whose outer cover is made up of sections of'leather `ioined together by inturned seams, and my improved rnethod permits such a ball to be manufactured easily and at a low cost.

While I have herein described my method as being used to produce an inflatable ball of the kind in which a flexible shell encases an inatable bladder, and in turn, is encased in an outer cover made up of pieces of material that are cemented to the outer surface of said shell, I wish it to be understood that my method is applicable to the manufacture of any type or kind of play ball equipped with an outer cover made up of pieces of material arranged with their marginal edges in abutting relation and secured by an adhesive to the exterior of an inflated spherical member.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A method of making an inflatable ball, characterized by forming cover -sections having tapered marginal edge portions, arranging said cover sections on an inflated spherical member with their edges in abutting relationship, and securing said sections by an adhesive to said member, and pressing the tapered edge portions of said cover sections inwardly, thereby producing a ball whose cover is provided with a valley or depression of .irregular shape or outline.

MASON SCUDDER. 

